Drawer safety latch

Abstract

A drawer safety latch automatically stops the drawer both when opening and closing the drawer. In a preferred embodiment, the safety latch is a one-piece design and includes a large, flat surface for stick-on mounting of the safety latch to the drawer without the need for screws or other fastening devices.

1. A safety latch for a drawer, comprising:
 an L-shaped body, including a vertical leg and a horizontal engaging arm, 
 said vertical leg having a top surface and having a flat outer surface for mounting to the inside of a drawer, wherein said L-shaped body is configured so that the horizontal engaging arm will project inwardly into the drawer when the flat outer surface of the vertical leg is mounted to the inside of a vertical wall of the drawer; and 
 said engaging arm having a top surface defining forward and rear ramps and a trough between said forward and rear ramps, said trough defining an upward opening, and said ramps terminating short of said upward opening in a vertical plane; 
 wherein said engaging arm is movable up and down relative to said vertical leg; and 
 wherein the top surface of said engaging arm, including at least a portion of said trough, is at a higher elevation than the top surface of said vertical leg when said L-shaped body is in a relaxed, unflexed position, so that, when said vertical leg is mounted to the inside of a vertical wall of the drawer flush with the top of the drawer, the top surface of said engaging arm and at least a portion of said trough project above the top of the drawer. 
 
   
   
     2. A safety latch for a drawer as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said L-shaped body is made in a unitary piece, and wherein said engaging arm projects forward from said horizontal leg and is movable by flexing said unitary piece. 
   
   
     3. A safety latch for a drawer as recited in  claim 2 , and further comprising a fastening means on said vertical leg for securing said vertical leg to the inside of a drawer. 
   
   
     4. A safety latch for a drawer as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said fastening means comprises an adhesive strip. 
   
   
     5. A safety latch for a drawer as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said forward ramp tapers from a lower elevation in front to a higher elevation in back, and said rear ramp tapers from a higher elevation in front to a lower elevation in back. 
   
   
     6. A safety latch for a drawer as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said forward ramp tapers from a lower elevation in front to a higher elevation in back, and said rear ramp tapers from a higher elevation in front to a lower elevation in back. 
   
   
     7. A safety latch for a drawer as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said trough has substantially straight front and rear walls. 
   
   
     8. A cabinet, comprising:
 a frame; 
 a front face mounted on said frame and defining an opening having a front-to-back depth; 
 a drawer mounted on said frame and movable in a front-to-back direction through said opening, said drawer including left and right side panels and a bottom panel and defining an inner surface; 
 a safety latch including
 an L-shaped body, having
 a vertical leg, mounted on said inner surface, 
 a horizontal leg projecting from said vertical leg; and 
 a horizontal engaging arm projecting forward from said horizontal leg and having a top surface which defines forward and rear ramps and a trough between said ramps, said trough defining an upward opening having a front-to-back distance that is at least as deep as the front-to-back depth of said front face; wherein said forward ramp tapers from a lower elevation in front to a higher elevation in back, and said rear ramp tapers from a higher elevation in front to a lower elevation in back; and said latch is mounted at a height such that said trough receives said front face and stops the movement of said drawer both when the drawer is being opened and when it is being closed. 
 
 
 
   
   
     9. A cabinet as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said latch is a unitary piece, and said engaging arm is movable up and down parallel to said vertical leg by flexing between said engaging arm and said horizontal leg. 
   
   
     10. A drawer latch for use in a cabinet having a front face and at least one drawer, comprising:
 a one-piece L-shaped latch body, including a vertical leg; a horizontal leg projecting inwardly from said vertical leg; and 
 an engaging arm projecting from said horizontal leg along a plane that is parallel to and offset from the plane of said vertical leg; 
 means for mounting said latch body to the inside of a drawer; and 
 means for stopping the drawer by abutting the front face of the cabinet both when opening and closing the drawer, wherein said means for stopping the drawer includes said engaging arm having a top surface defining forward and rear ramps and a trough between said forward and rear ramps. 
 
   
   
     11. A drawer latch as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said one-piece latch body includes means for selectively releasing said latch from the front face of the cabinet in order to open and close the drawer.